


chemistry

by jhvce



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Punk!Nico, based on kendra's hcs!, its the PNAU Y'ALL, nerd!Leo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-05-18 23:57:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5948137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jhvce/pseuds/jhvce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>nico and leo both suck at the subject. doesn't mean they can't experiment.</p><p>(punk/nerd au)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i just can’t wait for love to destroy us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jasipereos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasipereos/gifts).



> inspiration: i fell in love today, there aren't many words you can say  
> that could ever get my mind to change
> 
> -
> 
> been a heckof a ride writin this and yet here we are. BASED on kendra's headcanons (bcuz her hcs of this au srsly have to be the bEST THING EVER- and if you want a spoiler u can find her hcs here: http://jasipereos.tumblr.com/post/132328137985 ) and yes i did ask for her permission (i truly feel blessed to be able to write this fic ;;;;; ),, most likely will be updating this every week. 
> 
> so without further ado

"Di Angelo, sit in the front this instant."  
  
It was a command that echoed through the room, leaving it silent. The rowdy boys that surrounded the thin, weary-eyed, leather wearing Nico di Angelo suddenly stopped their roughhousing at the teacher's stern voice. Nico glared her down for a while, because he was known for not backing down, known for holding grudges, and at that very moment he held that grudge against Mrs. Turner, their chemistry teacher.   
  
But as a student, even he knew, he couldn't win.   
  
He grabbed his stuff, silently flipping Percy off as he made his way to the front of the class. If it wasn't for him and Jason loudly making inappropriate jokes about their own girlfriends- which then turned to inappropriate jokes about _each other_ \- none of this would have happened.   
  
The class was arranged in tables, two persons per table, and Nico wanted to tear his hair out at the thought of sitting in the front of the class. He liked sitting in the back, away from judgmental eyes- but the only problem was he stuck out like a sore thumb in a crowd. And now that he had to sit in the front, he could feel all eyes finding the back of his head. And that feeling made him want to throw up.   
  
"You boys in the back, don't tempt me to rearrange you too," said Mrs. Turner. She turned to Nico, "You can take a seat next to Leo, and you _better_ behave."

Nico glanced at the student she pointed at, and when he did he swore to the gods his heart skipped a beat.

The boy was a complete _dork_ . Big brown eyes encased in thick, black glasses that slid down to his nose every 5 seconds. Dark brown hair that was so curly even with the gel slicked in it. Gangly arms and thin legs that just looked uncomfortable on his body. The Iron Man shirt really showed off, as if it was made for him to wear. But what topped it all off was the multicolored braces in his teeth as he gave Nico a nervous grin.   
  
"H-Hi there," He stuttered out. Nico snorted. He wasn't laughing at him, no, he was laughing at the fact that he found the dork cute. Pretty _damn_ cute. Why has he never noticed this boy before?   
  
"What's your name?" Nico asked the cute nerd gruffly. The boy's eyes widened, as if not expecting Nico to speak, as if not expecting Nico to act like a normal human being to him.   
  
What was he expecting then? Nico wondered. Was he expecting anger? Expecting Nico's signature glare? Was he expecting Nico to never speak to him? To never get to know him? To never get to understand the reason behind why his fingers and his shirt were stained with soot, why he smelled like motor oil and lavender- not that Nico had gotten a good whiff of him, but it seemed that that was what the boy smelled like.   
  
Because Nico _wanted_ to understand, he wanted to understand everything about him, and that was already too much for he still didn't know this boy's name.   
  
So he asked again. " _Your name_ ?" It sounded a little more condescending, but whatever. He couldn't control how his voice sounded. Not when he desperately wanted to know.   
  
The boy gulped. "Leo Valdez," he mumbled, eyes fixated on his paper. Nico repeated the name in his head 'till he memorized every syllable, every way it could be pronounced, every letter that made the name.   
  
"Leo," he said lightly. The nerd flinched, still afraid of him, afraid of what he could do, and that was fine for now. For everybody that went to this school had a good reason to fear Nico- he had a reputation, and he kept it that way- but now he had a mission to make this boy never fear him again.   
  
He decided then and there that he wouldn't mind sitting beside Leo for the rest of the year. He wouldn't mind one bit.

 

* * *

 

 The boy was a complete _punk_ . Hair as black as the night, pale skin that contrasted the gray bags under his dark, brown eyes filled with wary and experience. When he talked, you could see the glint of a tongue stud, and the metal on his lip and in his ears were also a plus. His clothes hung from his body, but his arms were strong underneath, and he wore black leather all the time; never was he seen without his jacket on, a pair of tight black jeans, and combat boots.   
  
Nico di Angelo was someone you never wanted to be involved with, and Leo thought he could live his whole life that way, peacefully, Nico di Angelo-less, only having to worry about the low-class bullies.   
  
He was mistaken on that fateful afternoon during Chemistry class.

Leo tried his best to ignore the boy beside him, but as the minutes went by he found it hard to do so. Hard not to let his gaze wander towards the boy beside him, to not stare at the way the punk's knuckles stood out from his hand as he wrote, or the way his hair fell to the front of his face from time to time, or the way he unconsciously licked his chapped lips, unconsciously played with his lip ring with his teeth-  
  
Nico's eyes tilted slightly towards him and Leo immediately looked elsewhere, his cheeks heating up from getting caught.   
  
He realized when Nico stared down at his paper that he wasn't caught staring at all.

"W-What are you doing?" Leo whispered.  
  
"Copying your answers, hope you don't mind," Nico said casually, writing down the answers on his own paper.

"Leo, is Nico bothering you?" He turned his gaze towards Mrs. Turner's voice, away from Nico's dark eyes. He knew he couldn't just say that he was feeling pressured by Nico, because from all the stories he's heard about Nico di Angelo, people who went up against him never got a happy ending. And Leo would be damned if he didn't live 'till he was at least 28.  
  
"No ma'am," Leo breathed out shakily. Beside him, he heard an approving huff from Nico. He let out an relieving exhale of his own, calming his rapid heart beat.   
  
If Nico wasn't so hauntingly, gracefully, _undeniably_ hot, he wouldn't have a reason to even _be_ staring at him.

 

* * *

 

There were rumors, of course, of what Nico could do, what he was capable of. He's heard them all, and he's proved most to be true. Things like how he could bend a person's arm without even trying, how he could take on someone twice his size. Of course there were the small ones like 'he's quiet; he hardly talks' or 'he smokes in between classes' which were all blatantly true as well.

  
But it were rumors like 'you can see your greatest fears just looking into his eyes' or 'he's a mean student, he goes up against the teachers' that Nico loved to prove wrong. The one he loved to prove wrong the most was that he was a 'a bully'.   
  
"Heey, c'mon guys, can't we talk about this?"   
  
Nico watched from across the hall as Leo raised his hands up to protect himself, but to no effect, he was still gruffly shoved into the tiny locker by Octavian and two other snobby popular kids.

That’s when Nico’s vision turned red.

It wasn't hard to push Octavian out of the way, the skinny blonde crashing into his backup against the lockers across from them. Nico grabbed his collar and shook him hard, wanted to keep the fight going like he always did, but he knew he didn't have the time for that right now.  
  
"Keep away from Valdez," Nico spat. "Unless you want to deal with _me_ ." He didn't know what had gotten into him; it felt instinctual. It wasn't like he owned Leo. But thinking about Octavian ever so much as _touching_ Leo-   
  
_Disgusted him to no end._   
  
The preppy boy scuttled away along with his other friends, easily scared, just like all the other bitchy populars Nico hated to deal with.   
  
He took in a breath before turning to the closed locker, and when he opened it there laid a shaky Leo Valdez, arms crossed over his head. His head lifted when the locker opened, his expression paled, shocked and at a loss of words.   
  
"You okay?" Nico asked, still miffed that this had happened. Leo gave a mute nod, and Nico helped him out of the locker to stand. It was then, Nico realized, that he was about a whole foot taller than Leo. The nerd seemed so small compared to him. He held back his amusement, and instead promptly checked Leo for bruises.   
  
"He didn't hurt you?" Nico asked, and he received another silent response. Leo looked uncomfortable and Nico stepped back a little to give him space to breathe. In lack of anything to do, he closed the locker and leaned against it, stared down the hallway where Octavian had ran down and pondered on whether he should go after the pretentious asshole just to teach him a lesson.   
  
"Um, excuse me?"   
  
He looked back at Leo where a blush spread upon his pointy ears- _Pointy_ . Jesus, this nerd was too fucking adorable. Not only was he so fucking short, he had fucking _elf ears_ to top it all off.   
  
Leo scratched his arm, awkward. "Soo, thanks for that and all."   
  
Nico nodded shortly. "No problem." It really wasn't. He really didn't have to, but for some reason it felt like something he had to do. He told Leo none of this though. No need to make him even more scared than he already was of Nico.   
  
Leo coughed. "So, um, I'm just gonna go then-"   
  
But Nico trapped him before he could leave, hand pressed against the locker next to Leo's head, causing Leo to jump and back up into the lockers.   
  
Leo stared up at Nico breathlessly, and Nico decided he liked that look on Leo. He placed his other hand on the other side of Leo's head, trapping him completely. Nico took a quick glance down both halls. Class was over, but it would still be bad if they were caught like this.   
  
He needed to say something to Leo, something that has been bugging him since day one, and he needed to be quick about it.   
  
So he leaned in close, heard Leo's sharp intake of breath, and smirked. "Don't think you can get out of this so easily," he said lowly, searching Leo's eyes. Finally, he leaned in so close his lips almost touched those pointy ears. _Almost_ . "Meet me behind the school tomorrow,” he whispered.   
  
He then pulled back in an instant, setting Leo free from his captive. He backed away a little more before picking up his bag he had thrown onto the floor in a haste. He watched Leo take in breaths like a fish out of water, his smirk still in place when he saw the confusion on Leo's face.   
  
Leo shook his head as if to gather his thoughts. "Wait-wait why?" He asked.   
  
Nico rolled his eyes. "You'll be tutoring me from now on," he told him as if it was obvious.   
  
Leo stared widely at him. With a swallow he stuttered out with lack of confidence, "Wh-What if I don't come?"   
  
Nico's smirk dropped, and his eyes narrowed, dark. "I just saved you from that dickhead Octavian. Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"   
  
With a gulp, Leo hurriedly shook his head.   
  
It was a threat he didn't want to make, but it was the only way he knew how to talk to people nowadays.   
  
"I better see you there," Nico said before walking away. He only got about three steps in before Leo called out for him.   
  
"Wait! Wh-What am I even tutoring you in?" He asked. Nico looked behind his shoulder, took in how Leo looked from top to bottom, still pressed tightly against the lockers, eyes still wide and filled with fear and confusion behind black frames, face still flushed and out of breath. He felt his smirk come back to him.   
  
"Chemistry." Was all he said before throwing a wink in Leo's direction.

He continued to walk away, satisfied with himself, and even more amused, a full grin spreading against his lips when he heard Leo call out for him again, an exasperated outburst,

" _But I suck at chemistry!_ "


	2. i don’t wanna lie, but i don’t wanna tell you the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspo: i know that getting you alone isn’t easy to do  
> with the exception of you i dislike everyone in the room

It was almost winter, and in New York, the cold creeps on you a little slower than usual. Leo breathed out a sigh, and he could see his breath form into fog.  
  
The back of the school was dark and dingy, tall molding brick walls and torn up paper scattered around the place. The metal fence looked intimidating, exemplifying the fact that school felt like a prison.   
  
Why in the world was he here?   
  
Leo had been bullied a lot when he was younger. He wasn't bullied for the fact that he had crappy vision, or crooked teeth, or an unconditional love for comic books. No, it was _all_ of that _plus_ the fact that he came out as a raging homosexual at the age of 13, when he had confessed to his crush who had turned him down and blabbed about it to the whole school, which had then caused him to move.   
  
It wasn't a rough move. He hadn't made a lot of friends at his old school, no one he really had to say goodbye to. But it didn't mean the bullying stopped, not even here at his new school.   
  
And now he had Nico di _fucking_ Angelo coming after him?   
  
Leo believed history liked to repeat itself, and if this had happened in the past to his ancestors, then his own kids would be a lost cause. Being a loser most likely ran in the family- it just skipped his mother's generation and went straight to him.   
  
Leo pulled his hair. _Fuck_ . Why was he _here_ ?   
  
He could just leave, he didn't need to be here, he didn't need to be threatened like this. And yet every time he turned to leave, something stopped his feet in its track.   
  
Something. It was something. Something about Nico di Angelo that made him want to find out what would happen if he didn't leave.   
  
"Yo." Speak of the devil.   
  
Nico took out a cigarette pack from his pocket and pulled one out. "You smoke?" He asked.   
  
"N-Not really, no." Leo seriously needed to get over stuttering whenever he answered Nico, but he couldn't help it. Nico always seemed intimidating, towering over Leo with his height, and his glare, and his _eyes_ \-   
  
"Shame. You'd look good with a cig in your mouth," Leo felt his cheeks heat at that. Nico took out a lighter and lit up. "You don't mind if I smoke for a bit then?"   
  
Leo shook his head then fidgeted in his place as Nico blew out the smoke towards him.   
  
He hated that Nico kept staring at him. He wasn't used to all the staring. Kept his head as low as he could whenever he walked through the halls.   
  
Nico seemed to be so interested with him, but what was there to be interested in? He was nothing but a nobody, nothing but a know-it-all in a scrawny body. His skin wasn't fair- he's had more pimples than he'd care to mention- his ears were as pointy as triangles, he could be so sarcastic at times it got him into trouble, and he pretty much had the whole Avengers movie dialogue memorized in his head.   
  
Okay, nevermind, that last one was pretty cool, he was proud of that.   
  
But if it wasn't that then what was it? What was it that made Nico so intrigued, searching Leo's face as smoke escaped through his teeth?   
  
Watching Nico smoke was alluring, breath so noticeable in the fog. He looked like a young god, leaning against the brick wall of the school like he owned the place, not giving a shit about what anyone says or does.   
  
What did this beautiful boy have to do with him?   
  
Nico closed his eyes and breathed out one last time before he threw his cigarette on the ground, killing it with the heel of his shoe. "Follow me," he said with a short nod, then he started to walk off and Leo shook his head to get out of Nico's enticing spell.   
  
His feet followed without thought.

 

* * *

 

The walk home was slow and quiet, neither one saying a thing. Nico’s house was huge, expensive looking really, and Nico hated when people called his house a ‘mansion’.

So of course, he really tried to ignore Leo voicing his thoughts of astonishment.

" _Wow_. Are you sure you live here?" Leo asked with a low whistle. "You're not just, I don't know, house-sitting, or pet-sitting, or looting this place right?" He may have mumbled that last part, but Nico heard it anyhow.

"Dad's pretty rich, but I can't wait to move out,” Nico said with a sigh. “In the meantime, don’t drag in dirt, nerd.”  
  
Nico led them to his room on the second floor and Nico took pride in the fact that his room looked nothing like the rest of the house. The walls and floor were made of wood, his bed looked middle-class bought, and posters hung everywhere, mostly of bands. Dozens of books, CDs, and clothes littered the floor, as well as on the small desk in the corner.

Leo looked uncomfortable standing by the door, and Nico, being the tease that he was, decided to take his shirt off, slowly stripping to change. He held back his amusement when he glanced behind him to see Leo who was fidgeting, wide eyes glued to the floor, his face heated.  
  
Nico loved seeing the nerd blush. He really really loved the sight.   
  
He knew he had to be careful. But he couldn't help himself.   
  
As he put on a new shirt, he asked aloud, "You ever think about gettin' a tattoo, Valdez?"   
  
(Because Nico's been thinking about how the nerd would look like with a tattoo, possibly some piercings. He's been thinking about it a lot, actually.)   
  
Leo blinked, not expecting the question. "N-No, no, not really, my mom would kill me if I did," he said, chuckling nervously.   
  
Nico walked a little closer to him and Leo flinched back, pressing himself to the door. It didn't stop Nico from moving closer, propping one hand on one side of Leo's head, the other grazing Leo's face where his cheeks were so hot he was practically steaming.   
  
He was trouble for this nerd and he knew it.   
  
He pushed Leo’s glasses back up his nose before his fingers roamed a little, touched Leo's ears lightly then moved to Leo's bottom lip. "What about a little metal? A piercing would look nice on you, right here," he whispered.   
  
Leo was already a stuttering mess, his lip trembling. "I- M-My mom she'll, I-" he swallowed, pushing Nico's hands away. "Look maybe I should just go-"   
  
Nico sighed. He found his limit.   
  
Before Leo could grab his bag, Nico seized his arm. "Relax nerd, I'm only teasing you."   
  
Leo stared at Nico's hand on his arm, and Nico let go of him reluctantly.   
  
"I mean if you really want to leave, I won’t stop you," said Nico, trying to fix the tension. It was a lie. He didn't want the nerd to leave at all. And he hoped Leo could hear his thoughts.   
  
Leo looked unsure. "Why am I here? Seriously?" He asked, almost to himself.   
  
"You're here to tutor me, idiot," Nico rolled his eyes. "I thought I already told you that."   
  
"I heard you," Leo mumbled with a shrug. "It's just, I wasn't kidding, about sucking at chemistry, I have a C average in that class cuz I keep blowing up all the chemicals."   
  
Nico snorted- which became a laugh at that bold statement, raising his hand to his mouth unable to contain his grin any longer. It wasn't just that Leo blew up shit in the lab (he _knew_ Leo blew up shit in the lab), but it was the fact that Leo had thought he was _seriously_ gonna _tutor_ him in the subject. 

Leo stared at him, eyes wide as if shocked to hear Nico laugh.  
  
He backtracked. Maybe Leo really _has_ never heard him laugh before.   
  
Nico's eyes softened at the thought. He cleared his throat to stop his laughter. "You don't have to tutor me in chem," he said. "You have Ms. Wench for Algebra 2, right?"   
  
Leo nodded, hesitant.   
  
"I heard you're her star pupil," Nico said with a shrug. "She told me to find you to help me bump my grades up."   
  
The said 'star pupil'’s eyebrows furrowed. "She didn't tell me anything-"   
  
"Well maybe not in those exact words, really," Nico interrupted, sitting down on his bed with a sigh. "' _Nico you failed yet another quiz, why can't you be more like Valdez in my 5th period class?_ '" He said, imitating his math teacher's scratchy, high-pitched voice.   
  
Leo pursed his lips in a smile, and Nico's heart soared.   
  
"You got her voice spot on."   
  
"Yeah well, when you hear her bitch about everything you do wrong, her voice kinda stays stuck in your head."   
  
"Yeah that's true." Leo's smile was still there.   
  
Nico took in a breath to calm his heart. "Anyway, I have an F in her class since I can't understand quadratic equations for shit."   
  
He held his hopes high before asking, "Think you can help me?"   
  
He swore he saw Leo's eyes light up with excitement.   
  
They took out their books and started their session. And as Leo talked on and on about quadratic formulas and numbers he won't remember the next day, Nico learned something surprising.   
  
Leo wasn't just smart. He was a smart _ass_ .   
  
It was hard at first to get the nerd out of his shell- it took a lot of accidental flirting on Nico's end, and when that made everything worse, he simply started to ask Leo about his own life (and Nico had to sit and watch Leo's eyes light up with such enthusiasm, had to listen to him go on and on about comic books and the automotive class, had to stop himself from pinching the _damn nerd's adorable cheeks_ ). It took a little more talking out of him, but Nico noticed when Leo started to stutter less and speak in straight sentences, started to sound less shy and more sarcastic.   
  
Nico was writing down an answer when Leo called out, "You play mythomagic?"   
  
His pencil stopped- and so did his heart.   
  
Leo was still looking at the deck of cards on his shelf. He took a very short second to compose himself.   
  
"Ah, um, I used to." He said with a clear of his throat- cursed that this was the first time he ever stumbled on his words. _Great_ , now the nerd had him _stuttering_ ?   
  
He almost had a heart attack when Leo exclaimed, "That's so cool!"   
  
He watched Leo frantically stand to grab the deck on the shelf (and he restrained himself from breaking his pencil when Leo thumbed through the cards).   
  
"Woah, I've never seen these before, these are rare," Leo mumbled in awe.   
  
Nico ignored how hot his ears started to feel. He may have stopped playing the game years back, but it still didn't stop him from going into a comic book store to buy a new deck just to search for rares every now and then.

Nico cleared his voice again. “Yeah, I uh, used to collect the rare ones when I was a kid but-”

“Duude! You have the Cupid card!” Leo waved the pink card from the deck in front of Nico’s face, and a sudden memory came to Nico’s mind, about 3 years ago when he bought Mythomagic cards pack by pack, stocking everything and dumping duplicates just to find the rare Cupid card.

Of course, back then, it was only because he had a crush on Cupid. _A crush on a non-existent god_. Damn illustration was just too good for him.

Nico hid his face in his hands to hide his blush. He had never been so flustered like this before. “That was such a long time ago, y’know-”

“Wow, _wow_ , you have the Underworld biome too?”

“I- can you just-”

But Leo didn’t listen to his pleads. “Oh man, you have _Gaea_! That’s so much stronger than the titan cards!”

“You know what I take everything back, those cards _are_ _not_ _mine_ -”

“Nico, we seriously have to play sometime!”

Now that made Nico pause, sudden. “ _We_?” He whispered it more to himself, as if he couldn’t believe Leo had said that.

Leo didn’t hear it, still stuck in his world. “Man, sucks that I didn’t bring my deck, I should remember that next time.”

“Next time,” Nico repeated Leo’s words in a mumble, a little breathless because Leo was still grinning, his braces glinting in the light. “Yeah sure.”

He hoped he didn’t sound too desperate.

He was trouble for this nerd, he knew it. What he didn’t know was that this nerd was trouble for him as well.

A ring disrupted them. “Oh, my mom’s already here to pick me up,” Leo said checking his phone. He placed the cards back into the deck and grabbed his bag.

Nico sat up a little too quickly. “You're leaving already? I’m still stuck on this problem.”

“I’m sure you'll be fine, I mean, you've been doing great so far,” Leo opened the door. “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And then Leo paused, “That is, to say, you want me to come back tomorrow, if-if it’s alright with you I mean, I- I- I don’t have to-” Leo stammered until his face went red, and Nico smirked.

_God, this dork._

“You better bring your deck tomorrow,” he said. “Four-eyes.”

Leo blinked- then smiled.

Nico followed Leo downstairs and closed the front door behind him after bidding him goodbye, a lovestruck smile still stuck on his face.  
  
His mother came out of the kitchen, where she had decided to hide all night, by Nico’s request, to not interrupt them.

"So,” she started, crossing her arms in her motherly fashion. “Are you finally going to tell me about this new boy of yours?"

Nico rolled his eyes and yet he still smiled at his mother and shook his head.  
  
"He isn't mine, ma," he told her.   
  
His mother winked at him, her voice sincere, "Not yet, right?"   
  
Nico chuckled. "Yeah. Not yet." 


	3. you’re the flame i use when it gets dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspo: you and i are two oceans apart  
> we're on earth to break each others hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took a while i got pr sick so sorry if this chap is crap i'll try to post th next one as soon as i can (anyway i lov th comments!! pls keep them up!! thank!!)

Leo's hand faltered in the air, and he decided to ring the doorbell instead of knock. He adjusted the books in his arms and swallowed down his nerves.

It had gotten normal for him to swallow down his anxiety over the past few weeks. He had been coming over to Nico’s house quite often, whenever he could really, and the punk had seriously improved in his studies (something Leo was secretly proud of).

Sure, these past few weeks, Leo started to see the punk change into something he never would have expected. Somehow, they could hold a conversation, even about something as mundane as school. Somehow, they didn’t fight like Leo had expected they would, and Leo started to be less tentative around Nico. It had gotten to the point where they could laugh, and tease, and play Mythomagic, a revelation that still seemed so impossible, and yet it made the punk seem _way_ too much cuter now that he knew there was a part of Nico that was just as _dorky_ as Leo was.

Didn’t mean he was still a little nervous around Nico. Didn’t mean that his heart still pounded like crazy whenever Nico would get close- and Nico got close _a lot_ ; the subtle hints and touches were still there and it drove Leo insane.

He didn’t label it as flirting because that would be getting his hopes too high, and he didn’t want to do that again. Last time he did that, he had to switch schools. Yet a part of him still thought that this was all a prank, that Nico would one day turn around and humiliate him, and if not humiliate him then he would beat him up and leave him in the dirt for being so gay, for being so _gullible_.

“Hey,” said Nico, opening the door and cutting off Leo’s thoughts. “Took you long enough. Come on in.”

Leo had also gotten used to ignoring the luxurious home- _mansion_ that Nico di Angelo lived in (and some part of him also still believed that Nico didn’t actually live here). His footsteps echoed eerily in the hall, and he had a feeling Nico’s parents weren’t home.

When they reached Nico’s room, the punk collapsed on his bed, looking tired.

Leo placed his bag on the ground, his eyebrows furrowing. “You okay?” he asked.

“Just peachy,” mumbled Nico irately with a sigh. He ran his hand across his face then grabbed his book from his desk. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“..Alright,” hesitated Leo after studying Nico’s face carefully. He didn’t know what was bothering the punk, but he hoped it wouldn’t last.

He opened his book, the pages crinkling under his fingers. “Where did we leave off?” He asked.

Nico shrugged, indifferent. He started to turn the pages of his book when something caught Leo’s sight.

“Nico, your hand!” he exclaimed, already grabbing Nico’s hands where his knuckles were scratched up and bleeding. How could he have missed that? “What happened!”

Nico tensed. “Nothing. It was stupid,” he mumbled.

But Leo knew otherwise, knew that Nico most likely got himself into another fight. What he didn’t want to know was if Nico got into more trouble than he already was.

He minded what Nico said, right now he had to stop the bleeding. “Where’s your medkit?” he asked, frantic.

Nico eyes averted, not meeting Leo’s. “On the shelf in the bathroom, but-”

He was already standing up, making his way to the bathroom and quickly grabbing the small white box on the shelf by the mirror. He then made his way back to Nico who sat on his bed, almost looking guilty.

“Leo-” he started.

“Shut up for a minute,” interrupted Leo, taking Nico’s hand in his once more.

Nico blinked at his sudden command, but he did shut up, wincing slightly down at his hand as Leo sprayed antiseptic on the wound. Leo was glad his medical training as a boy scout when he was a kid was actually paying off (even though he was teased about being one, for a long, _long_ time). He quickly wrapped Nico’s knuckles in gauze and tightened them enough to stop the bleeding.

“There,” sighed Leo. “All better.”

Nico’s hand tightened its grip around Leo’s and he looked up to see soft, guarded eyes.

“Thanks,” Nico muttered, and although it seemed forced, Leo took it anyhow.

“No prob, bob,” he said in return- and he wanted to punch himself in the face when he had realized what he had just said. “Wow, that has to be the stupidest thing I have ever said, what I meant to say was, it was no problem.” Nico snorted, and it was nice to know Leo got some credit for making a fool of himself.

Still, Nico looked on edge, his hand holding onto Leo’s tightly. “Your hands feel like they're fucking _burning_ ,” murmured Nico.

“Y-Your hands are just freezing cold,” Leo mumbled, a confession in lack of anything to say, but it was a fact of course, Nico’s hands felt like ice in his, and his cheeks heated up from the contact of their skin.

Nico searched Leo’s face until he squirmed from the intense attention.

“Seriously though, who did you punch?” he asked, just to switch topics away from the tension.

Nico didn’t answer right away, and when he did, “Just an asshole,” was all he muttered. “He deserved it.”

Leo winced visibly. “Did he really?”

Nico’s grip tightened and he sounded frustrated. “He was talking shit Leo, I couldn’t just back down!”

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Leo said, idly pressing his fingers into Nico’s palm. “What could he have possibly said that made you so mad?”

Leo really wanted to know, for it wasn’t common for Nico to be in fights. Sure, the punk’s reputation basically consisted of holding a grudge against someone, but brawls went unnoticed.

What could someone say that would make the cool and collect Nico di Angelo snap?

And then, Nico went silent. As if something had stopped him from talking, his eyes became slits, glaring down at his bandaged hand.

“Nico?” Leo asked, cautious, a little scared of what was going through Nico’s head at the moment.

After a moment, Nico mumbled something Leo couldn’t hear.

“What was that?”

Nico griped in a rush. “He was making fun of you, okay?”

Oh.

_Oh_.

Leo felt a blush creep on his cheeks once more, only this time it was from shame. Sure, he and Nico had become somewhat closer from playing a lame Geek card game and teasing one another about their flaws, hell they could even be called ‘friends’- if the word ‘friend’ meant that it was okay for him to have a massive crush on Nico, leaving stressful tension between them, mostly on Leo’s end, then yes they were ‘ _friends_ ’- but if they weren’t friends, well if Nico didn’t think that they were, then why did Nico feel like he had to protect him? Leo could handle his own fights, he’s been through worse, he didn’t need Nico fighting for him, especially if he was going to get hurt.

Nico forcibly nudged his hand out of Leo’s. “Look it was stupid-”

“No, no, it’s just,” Leo faltered, confused on what to say. He has never seen Nico look so.. Defenseless. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

Nico’s eyebrows furrowed looking confused as well, his head tilted sideways, and Leo was reminded of a cat-like motion. “Sure I did.”

“N-No you really didn’t have to,” Leo said, trying to make Nico understand. “I can deal with bullies on my own, I don’t need you to help me-”

But then Leo’s breath hitched as Nico’s bandaged hand brushed his heated cheek lightly. Nico leaned in close enough until he was the only thing in Leo’s sight, and Leo couldn’t take his eyes off Nico’s, his eyes widening.

Leo breathed. “Wh-What are you-”

“Leo,” Nico whispered, and Leo gulped when he could feel his breath on his face. Nico pushed Leo’s glasses back up the bridge of his nose lightly, and Leo closed his eyes out of impulse, tightly, _anticipating_ -

And then Nico flicked his nose.

“Ow! Hey!” shouted Leo, opening his eyes and bringing a hand to ease the sharp pain in his nose. “What was that for!”

“We’re friends now, loser,” Nico said nonchalantly, pulling back from the close space he had made between them. A slight smirk was on his face as he ruffled Leo’s hair. And yet he sounded sincere as he told him, “You're battles are my battles now.”

Leo stared up at Nico, his chest ached and he could feel tears crinkle in his eyes. He blinked them back, smiling shakily at the punk. “Man, you suck.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but he smiled back anyway. “You should go home,” he said, closing his Math book. “We’ll study tomorrow.”

Nico said it as if he was trying to act tough, but Leo knew he was still upset, still on edge. So, being that Leo was the type of person who never wanted to see their friends down (yes, they are indeed ‘friends’ now, Nico has confirmed it), he then hummed and said, “Why would I leave when I can stay here and kick your ass at Mytho?”

Leo ignored the twist in his stomach when Nico grinned down at him. That had been happening more often, Nico’s smiles, they started to become more common to see. For Leo, it still came as a shock to see a genuine smile and not a condescending smirk upon his lips (and he decided he really should stop staring at Nico’s lips). It was a side of Nico that was new. It proved that Nico was capable of human emotion, and Leo was more than happy, more than _ecstatic_ to know that he was part of the very few selected people who knew this side of Nico existed.

The knots in his stomach were coming quite often too.

Nico sighed lightly. “You've been saying you're gonna beat my ass for weeks now, and yet you still end up losing.”

Leo was already taking out his Mythomagic deck from his bag. “I made a new strategy! This time I’ll win for sure.”

“Whatever you say,” Nico shook his head, his grin still across his face. “Dork.”

Leo raised an eyebrow, mockingly, “Oooh, I’m the dork now, huh? If I’m such a dork, how come I’m not the one with limited edition Mythomagic figurines on my shelf?”

Nico went deadly silent.

“..You asked for it, Valdez.”

Nico quickly grabbed the pillow behind him and hit Leo repeatedly.

“Ah!” Leo lifted his arms to block and struggled to hit back at him with his own pillow. “Stop, stop, have mercy!”

The cards spread across the sheets, forgotten, just like the tension between them. Their laughter filled the room.

 

* * *

 

“So, you and Valdez, huh?”

Nico blew out the smoke that sat in his mouth up towards the blue sky. He then turned his head lazily to Percy with a glare. “What about me and Valdez?”

“Nothin’,” said Percy, a knowing grin on his face that annoyed Nico to no end. “Just doesn’t seem like your type.”

“You're just saying that ‘cuz you're not Nico’s type either,” Jason said, rolling his eyes and lifting his own cig to his mouth. “Lay off Nico’s tiny boyfriend.”

Nico grit his teeth. “We’re not dating.” He took in another puff, long and hard, wanting the smoke to burn his lungs.

He and Leo weren’t dating- and that was the problem.

It had been about a month since they first met, but it felt like a lifetime whenever he was with Leo. He loved hearing the little nerd laugh, and stutter, and ramble on about tiny things he adored. But it was seriously starting to get harder and harder to control himself around the nerd; he had to stop his hand from reaching out to touch Leo’s blush, had to stop himself from leaning in to kiss him senseless all the damn time, it was driving him up a wall.

The smoke flitted through his teeth. No matter what he seemed to do, Leo was still as oblivious as ever to his intentions. And it was starting to get on Nico’s nerve.

“Idiot’s probably never even flirted before,” Nico mumbled to himself.

“He’s that blind, huh?” said Jason, pity staining his voice.

Nico nodded sluggishly, his thoughts overwhelming, hurting his head.

They were behind the school, class was over for the day, and Nico had gone here to wait for Leo like he usually did at the end of the day. Jason and Percy however decided to be a pain in the ass and followed him out here. The day had started out terrible for him. He got a scolding from his father this morning over breakfast, yelling at him for having his clothes smell like smoke again, his mother doing nothing to aid the argument.

That and the fact that he had woken up hard and in a painful bliss, his dream of Leo leaving him aching and wanting more.

Yes, it had gotten to the point where he would dream about the nerd. It wasn't really sexual, his dreams, but of just having Leo’s body close to his, hearing his laugh, soft kisses upon his face.

He sighed, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.

“Y’think Leo’s ever dated anyone before?” Percy suddenly brought up.

Nico huffed silently. “I don’t think he even _has_ any other friends, let alone a boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “Bet it’s hard to make friends with someone who can potentially set your clothes on fire.”

“My _god_ , was that him?”  Percy started to snigger, and Jason joined along. “ _Dude_ , if you do something that has the fire alarm ringing and the water sprinklers comin’ on, _no one_ is your friend.”

Nico felt his bandaged hand twitch.

“And he’s always wearin’ those lame superhero shirts,” snickered Percy. “I bet he has a fuckin’ _collection_ , Nico, back me up here-”

His fingers clenched and he took in a breath. Control, he thought, was on the edge of his patience. And he really just wanted to punch Percy in the face.

Well, he wanted to punch Percy in the face everyday, but since he was talking about _Leo_ -

Nico did nothing, said nothing, put his cigarette in his mouth just to have something to do with his hands. Their laughter, however, did not cease, neither did their teasing.

“Bet he collects the comic books too,” smirked Jason. “Or better yet, the _figurines_.”

“ _God_ , what a _loser_ ,” snorted Percy.

And that was the last straw.

“ _Guys_ ,” he started, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure.

A curly-headed, caramel-skinned figure.

“Leo!” He breathed, choking on the smoke. He quickly snuffed his cigarette against the wall and let it slip to the ground, his eyes not leaving the Latino who stood a few feet away. Jason winced visibly as his and Percy’s laughter died down. “How long have you been standing there?”

Leo looked indifferent and Nico’s never seen such a blank expression on Leo’s face before. The sleeves of his hoodie were over his fingers as he fixed his glasses. “I just got here.”

“Oh,” Nico said, relieved he didn’t hear any of what his idiotic friends had said.

A pause.

Percy turned to Nico, “Well, it’s gettin’ awkward, we should leave you two alone,” he started to leave with Jason in tow. “Later, Nico,” and as he passed by Leo he whispered loud enough for Nico to hear.

“Later, loser.”

Nico glared at the back of their heads as they left his vision. “Sorry about them,” he muttered to Leo.

Leo still had an unreadable expression, but seemed unaffected by what Percy had said, and Nico felt dread in his stomach at the thought of Leo taking his comment too seriously.

Leo shrugged. “You ready to go?”

The sun was just about to set, and the air between them was uncomfortable as they walked. Nico glanced at Leo frequently, and he noticed how unnaturally quiet he was, how distant his eyes looked behind his black frames.

It didn’t mean they couldn’t fill the silence.

“So,” started Leo. “I’m almost done with your bike.”

Over the weekend, Nico learned another new fact about Leo: his mother owned an auto shop. And Leo was under his mother’s wing, training to fix automotives and transportation like she did.

Of course, when Nico had learned this, he had immediately jumped to ask Leo if he could fix his motorcycle. The bike was about 2 years old, and he had totaled it less than a year ago when he was racing Jason in a competition. It was a complete wreck, and he never had the time to get it fixed, and even though he had access to the luxurious cars his father owned, there was something prideful in owning a motorcycle he bought for himself.

“Hey, that’s great,” he said to Leo softly. “I really appreciate you doing that.”

Leo just nodded in response.

A silence fell over them.

Nico bit his lip and played with his ring, something he did mindlessly, hating the tension that hung in the air.

“I have an Algebra test tomorrow,” he said in lack of conversation.

“Mm.”

“You think I’m ready?”

“You’ll do fine.”

There was still something off in his voice, and it made Nico anxious.

And then, out of nowhere, Leo smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll do better than me,” he said. “Since I’m such a loser.”

That made Nico stop in his tracks. He felt his heart drop to his stomach.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and it left his throat dry. “So you heard?”

Leo laughed, and never has he heard Leo’s laugh sound so cold, so devoid of warmth. Leo turned to him, that grin still on his face. “Of course I did.” His voice lowered, imitating Nico’s careless attitude, “ Ah, Leo is such a _loser_ , he has no friends and he’s socially awkward, bla bla bla- ”

Nico felt the need to roll his eyes. “C’mon, they didn’t really say _that_ -”

Leo’s voice raised. “Oh, my bad. Was my comic book collection a better conversation?”

Nico huffed. “Can you drop this, they were just joking-”

“Well how was I supposed to know that!”

Nico grinded his teeth for the second time that day. It wasn’t because he was angry at Leo- he was angry at himself for not knowing what to say. He regretted his friends being there, causing a ruck, and now this. He regretted even opening his mouth in the first place.

“They’re my friends, Leo,” he said carefully. “Don’t take them too seriously.”

“Well, they’re _not mine_ ,” muttered the glasses wearing Latino, his hands clenched into fists. “And if you ask me, that is _not_ how friends treat each other.”

“Oh yeah, ‘cuz you know everything about having _friends_ ,” he grumbled without even thinking.

He regretted it immediately.

After a numbing silence, he heard Leo take in a sharp breath, and he winced silently.

“Wow, that’s,” Leo chuckled again, his shoulders shaking. “ _Wow_.”

Nico stood frozen in place as he saw a few tears spill down Leo’s cheeks.

“Y’know, I really thought..” Leo whispered. He brushed his face before taking in a breath.

“You're right, it’s true. I don’t have any friends, I have no idea what it’s like,” Leo’s eyes were filled with betrayal, and the way he looked at Nico made his heart tear in two.

He watched, still frozen in place as Leo walked back the way they came, the orange hue of the sky outlining his figure, and Nico couldn’t even open his mouth to call out for him to apologize, in fear that he would say the wrong thing and make Leo hate him even more.

As he took in a shaky breath he realized, this had to be the worst day of his life.


	4. and i thought you would be mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspo: i got a feeling i might have lit the very fuse  
> that you were trying not to light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry this took forever no excuse can make up for this anyway i hope i did okay i'll try to write more this au hasn't left my head at all haha

The halls felt like a graveyard.

And Nico was the ghost. 

He walked past wandering eyes that were filled with fear, haunting them, the people around him becoming eerily quiet as he made his way. They parted around him like the clouds, only what came was the darkness that hung around him. He glared at anyone who dared to say a word.

Everyone knew when Nico di Angelo was sulking.

And they knew that if they favored their life, it was best to keep away from him.

But why was he sulking today? Why did the air feel cold around him? Why was he trudging through the halls like an underrated zombie?

It was because a certain person was absent.

“Hey look, it’s Mr. Grumpy,” said Jason as he entered the gym for first period. “What’s wrong? Your little nerd boyfriend not here today, di Angelo?”

“Not now Grace,” Nico grumbled back. The heels of his hands grinded his tired eyes.

“Oooh,” cooed Percy, sitting beside him on the bench. “Trouble in paradise?”

He glared. “This is all your fault, asshat.”

Percy held his hands up, offended. “Hey, you're the one who started it.”

Nico hung his head. The whole night was spent thinking about Leo, all the words he had said to him resonated loudly, and he could hear every exact syllable that came from his mouth. He could remember Leo’s frown, betrayal in his eyes. He could remember the tears.

To say the least, it was a rough night. He hardly got any sleep at all.

He tried thinking of the ways he could apologize without sending mixed signals, but in the end his feelings kept getting in the way.

He went to his next class with the same somber face, then the next, then the next, and before he knew it, he was in his chemistry class. He took his seat and stared at the empty one beside him. The bell rang, and he kept staring, as if Leo would pop out of nowhere if he stared hard enough.

When he finally tore his eyes away from the chair- _it’s just a chair, Nico,_ he told himself- his gaze turned to the wall.

The bright poster for their school dance mocked him.

Screw it. Tomorrow, he swore to himself. If Leo showed tomorrow, or if he didn’t. It didn’t matter. His intentions should be clear. He knew what he had to do.

Leo didn’t leave his thoughts for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

“And just what do you think you're doing, _m’ijo_?”

Leo huffed, all breath lost within him as he pulled on the metal a little harder.

“What does it look like I’m doing, mama?” He murmured gruffly. He pulled once more until the muscles in his arm strained, but the metal still wouldn’t budge. “I’m- _huff_ \- trying to tear apart Nico’s _stupid_ bike- _grrr_ \- _wow_ , I sealed this thing pretty well.”

His mother placed her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised at him. “And why are you trying to destroy that sweet boy’s motorcycle, hm? After all the work you’ve done on it.”

“Sweet? _Sweet_?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, it almost sounded scandalous. He stood up and kicked the motorcycle’s tire out of anger- and he immediately regretted it when pain shot up his leg.

“ _Oww_ , ow, ow-” he grabbed his foot to aid it.

“Ah, _Leo_ , are you alright?” His mother, out of pity, took him in her arms and calmed him. They sat down on the stairs that led to the garage door and Leo took in a shaky breath before continuing.

“Mama, that boy is _definitely_ not sweet at _all_ ,” groaned Leo into his mother’s shoulder. “You should have heard what he said today!”

And so, he told her all that had conspired through the day, what Nico’s friends had said, what he had said, and how much it hurt to hear Nico say such.

Leo’s mother listened intently to her son, nodding every once in awhile, but not interrupting, waiting for Leo to get to the end, rubbing his back whenever he started to yell or get angry or when he was on the brink of tears.

His mother was his best friend. It was hard growing up without a dad, and Leo’s mother had to raise him with the burden of being two parents at once. But she was always there for him, no matter what. He always came to her for guidance.

So when Leo finally finished his ranting, she shook her head. “It doesn’t sound right.”

Leo rubbed his teary eyes, confused. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged as if she didn’t exactly know herself. “It just doesn’t sound like something Nico would say.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “How would you know that, mama? You've only met him once.”

“Yes, I know,” she brushed his curly hair gently. “But even though I have only met him once, I already knew, he has a good heart.”

Leo groaned, upset his mother thought so. “ _Mama_ , were you not listening-”

“No, no, I was,” she sighed before continuing. “And I know those words that his friends said may have hurt you a lot, but it's not something you should dwell on right now, _m’ijo_.”

Leo wanted to pull his hair out. His mother wasn’t getting the point. “He was _defending_ his ‘friends’, after all the things they said about me!”

She halted and took a moment to think, “Maybe.. Maybe if you had listened to him, he might have explained. He might have apologized for what they had said.”

Leo was annoyed by that answer. _What did she know?_ She wasn’t there. She didn’t know how ugly his words were and how much it meant to him and how much it broke his heart. And what, he was just suppose to take that? He was just supposed to give Nico a chance to explain? And _then_ what? _Forgive_ _him_?

He didn’t want an apology from Nico. There was nothing he could say that would have made this any better.

He loved his mother, he really did, but this had to be the worse advice she’s ever said to him.

She broke the tense silence once more. “You know,” she said quietly, “Deep down, I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

Leo rested his head on her shoulder, tired of being angry. “Why would you say that?” And he sounded a bit betrayed.

She sighed. “Oh, _mi hijo_ , have you seen the way he _looks_ at you?”

“ _What_?” He breathed, unbelieving.

His mother looked amused. “He had that longing look in his eyes when he said ‘goodbye’ to you, didn’t you notice?” She smiled at her son warmly. “It’s like he didn’t want to leave.”

Leo felt his face heat up. He swallowed slowly, eyes darting around the garage. _No_ , he hasn’t noticed. He knew better than to look directly into Nico’s eyes.

He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “ _Haya_ , mama, if you like him so much, why don’t _you_ date him?”

She chuckled, ruffling his hair, “I would never steal him away from you like that,” she said, jokingly. “Besides, his mother and I would never get along if I did.”

Leo rolled his eyes.

“But listen, _mi hijo_ ,” she said calmly. “People who have the best chemistry together are never able to stay apart from each other.”

His eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to say?” He asked softly.

His mother took in a deep breath. “Hear him out. That’s all. And if he’s still just as bad, then,” she trailed off for a bit. “Then maybe the chemistry isn’t there.”

Leo pursed his lips and blinked back the resurfacing tears that fogged up his glasses. “Okay,” he whispered.

His mother kissed his forehead. “But it’s still up to you,” she told him. “Whether you decide to forgive him or not, whatever you choose, I will support you.”

Leo smiled. “Thanks, ma.”

“Also, _please_ don’t destroy his bike, _m’ijo_ ,” she said, pinching his cheek. “I’m so proud of the work you've done on it so far!”

“ _Ah_ , mama,” he rubbed his reddened cheek. “ _Fine_ , I won’t.”

She gave him one last smile. “Just think about it, Leo.”

And Leo did.

He thought about how they’ve come so far, how he and Nico have become so comfortable around each other, and so far he was getting by without any complications, his feelings weren’t in the way of their friendship.

He thought about what Nico had said, the fact that he didn’t have _any_ friends was painful, and he thought about why it hurt so much.

He _knew_ why it hurt so much.

Coming from his _only_ friend, those words were like kerosene, doused all over him, covering him in the blatant truth- and it was Nico who lit the match.

But then.

But _then_.

He thought about Nico’s _smile_ , the way it seemed like an action his lips seldom did. And his _laugh_ , the way it sounded like his voice was made of rust, unpolished, it took effort, but when it came, your ears will never hear a sound that compares.

He thought of every small touch that had ever passed him; the light grab of his arm, the joking punches to his shoulder, the push of his glasses upon his nose, the graze of a thumb against his heated cheek, the soft ruffle of his curls.

They were there. And they kept him thinking, wondering, _hoping_.

_“Have you seen the way he looks at you?”_

No he has not. But he has never been so curious to know.

Leo crawled into bed that night, Nico’s smile stuck in his head.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until two days later when he finally saw him.

It was the end of the day, and the day had felt long enough. He had searched the whole school just to find the curly-headed nerd, glancing at classrooms as he walked in the hallway, even looking around the library during lunch (he received a long side-glance from the librarian when he went in with his head raised and then another when he went out with shoulders slumped). He didn’t even bother with going to Leo’s house to apologize (it’s only been two days, Leo was bound to show up, it wasn’t time to get desperate _yet_ ). But when chemistry class came, his heart fell, disappointed to see the seat next to his was empty once more.

So it came as a shock to him when he rounded the corner long after class was over to see Leo at the end of the hall, papers shuffled in his arms as he grabbed books from his open locker.

The first thought that came to Nico’s mind was, _even in a lame Adventure Time shirt he’s still damn cute._

Obviously Leo was not expecting him either. When he closed his locker and turned to where Nico stood, he flinched and dropped all the books and papers that were in his arms, the sound of them crashing onto the floor echoed in the hallway.

After a wide-eyed breath Leo cursed. He bent to pick up his fallen books and Nico rushed to his side to help him.

“I got it,” murmured Leo. Nico couldn’t make out his expression, his head was bent and his curls covered his eyes.

He picked up a few books despite Leo’s protest. “I didn’t see you today,” Nico started softly.

Leo said nothing.

“Or yesterday,” he continued, picking up the last paper on the floor.

Leo cleared his throat, hesitant. “Yeah, well.” He tried reaching for his stuff but Nico instantly pulled it back away from his hands.

“No, wait Leo,” because he didn’t want Leo to leave right away, he needed this chance. “I’ve been looking for you since yesterday, please just let me say something.”

When Leo pursed his lips in silence, Nico took it as a sign to continue.

“Leo--” he stopped. _Why did he stop?_ He’s been thinking of the exact words to say for two days now, but at this very moment his tongue felt heavy, and his throat felt dry. Leo was looking at him expectedly and Nico couldn’t take his eyes off him. “I-- You--” He swallowed.

“I- I don’t think you’re a loser- or that you’ve never had any real friends- I didn’t mean any of what I said. I was mad and my day was terrible and Percy and Jason were being jackasses and I’d punch their faces in everyday if you wanted me to, but really what I’m- I’m trying to say-” Without even thinking, his mouth rushed out all the words he wanted to say and when he ran out of breath he stopped.

Leo was still looking at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said it softly. He held out Leo’s books and papers this time as a peace offering.

Leo looked like he was having an internal conflict, his eyes locked on his books, eyebrows furrowing. Finally Leo reached out and accepted the offer, gathered his things together--

and placed them on the floor where his bag laid. He sat ungracefully on the floor, his back leaning against the metal lockers, and he patted the space next to him.

Nico took it as a sign to sit, and so he did, careful enough not to let their knees touch.

“Back in my old school, I got bullied a lot,” Leo started. “People liked to prey on my differences and weaknesses, and most of the time when I opened my mouth I would make things worse. I managed to hide it though, kept smiling whenever I got home, but after a while it kept getting harder and harder to cover up the bruises and the black eyes. Obviously I couldn’t keep up the excuses, so we moved.”

Nico kept his gaze on the ground while Leo talked. He winced at Leo’s backstory. Suddenly he felt helpless.

Leo continued. “I hardly even made a friend at my old school- no one would stand up for me. When we moved here, when I met you, I just thought…” He trailed off painfully.

Nico’s breath felt stuck in his throat. “I know.” His voice was quiet.

Silence passed between them. Leo twiddled with his fingers. “I don’t think you should punch Percy and Jason in the face.”

“I’d do it though. Every single day.”

“Violence isn’t the answer,” Leo started to smile. “Besides, it’s way too much trouble to wrap up your bloody knuckles everyday.”

Nico smiled briefly. His bandaged hand ached. “Leo, I don’t regret being your friend.” He waited until Leo’s eyes raised to meet his. “I mean, c’mon, you’re the only one I know who can rock an Adventure Time shirt like that-” Nico nudged him a bit and Leo’s huff of laughter was comforting. “You’re the only one who plays Mythomagic with me nowadays. You.. you’re the only one I don’t have to be fake around.”

Leo’s smile was genuine and warm. Their shoulders touched and Nico averted his gaze away from Leo’s grin before anything could happen. “I meant it when I said that your battles are my battles too. I’ve got your back now, I swear it.” He exhaled slowly, a weight lifted, before offering his bandaged hand. Leo took it and he pulled them to their feet. Nico still couldn’t believe he stood a whole foot taller than the nerd.

“So, we’re good?” He asked. He bit his lip ring slightly.

Leo nodded. His eyes were filled with mirth and Nico couldn’t take his gaze off him. Their hands were still linked, and Leo’s hand was just as warm as before.

He started, a little breathless. “Will you..”

_go to the dance with me?_

The words danced around his teeth.

“..Still come over tomorrow?”

But he couldn’t do it. Not now, not when Leo still looked at him like that.

It didn’t matter. In the end when Leo smiled, it was worth it. For now, he would be the friend Leo deserved.


	5. before the moment's gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> inspo: it’s not like i’m falling in love i just want you to do me no good  
> and you look like you could

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so sorry this took forever i wanted it to be super perfect because yall love this so much im literally crying at the comments this fic gets and it finally got to me today to finish this and it came out 3x more words than i would usually write. SO HERE IT IS. the moment everyone was waiting for. and this is dedicated to nico, who was super patient <3, as well as all of you out there who was super patient i love you guys
> 
> and. yeah here it is

They went back to being the most unlikely friends.

You wouldn’t believe that they were, on a first account. You would have had a whiplash realizing a small nerd could make the scariest guy alive laugh. But Leo delighted himself in the fact that he could. He delighted himself in the littlest of things too, like the way Nico would yawn during their Chemistry lectures, bored out of his mind, he turned to Leo to make a gesture, a hand-gun of his pointer finger to his head, bending his thumb as if to pull a trigger.

Leo snickered beside him.

“Valdez, Di Angelo, what are you two laughing about there?” the teacher said, catching them.

There was a crinkle in Nico’s eyes as he said, “Nothing, ma’am.”

Leo still felt a little guilty in the fact that Nico would walk with him to his classes, even after all of Leo’s protests.

“Okay, but you _seriously_ don’t have to carry my stuff,” said Leo, as serious as he could.

“I’m just surprised you can even carry this on your own,” said Nico with a snort. “I feel like I’m lugging bricks.”

Leo protested some more, but Nico blocked every single one of them until they got to his next class. It made Leo’s heart stutter.

What made him swallow down his nerves however was the way people would look at them.

It seemed so otherworldly, to see the usually bright and happy nerd walking next to the towering, broody punk. And yet no one seemed to comment. No one probably dared to.

He still can’t get over the fact that, one afternoon at the end of the day, Nico had run up to him, knocking the breath out of him with a crushing hug.

Leo stuttered, his arms midair. “W-What's-”

Nico pulled back enough to show him a paper with a big, red letter ‘A’ on it. “I aced my test.”

Leo fixed his glasses and grinned. “No way.”

“Yes, I did, and it was all thanks to you,” said Nico with an easy smile. Leo secretly memorized every crevice of pure joy that showed on Nico’s face.

They sat together during lunch now. It took some convincing, and it was very awkward the first time, left with Nico glaring whenever Percy opened his mouth and small talk with Jason on the side, Leo had kept his mouth shut and his eyes down the whole time, only relaxing slightly when Nico’s arm brushed his.

The tense atmosphere subsided the next day when Piper and Annabeth showed up at their table, and Leo almost fell out of his seat at the sight of Percy’s blush from Annabeth’s kiss on his cheek. Small talk with Jason became small talk with Piper as well, someone Leo came to really get along with. Her troublemaker personality and colorfully vibrant eyes eased him well, and after a while he no longer felt out of place at this table. Still, Nico would sneak a glance at him as if to check if he was alright, and they would share a secretive smile before returning to the conversation shared across cafeteria food and overdue homework.

“What’s that?” asked Nico, lazily nodding at Leo’s lunch.

“It’s just a chicken sandwich.” Leo noticed Nico didn’t get any lunch, and he knew the punk never brought anything to eat either. “Wanna share? I can half it.”

At Nico’s nod, he cut his sandwich, offering one half to Nico, who didn’t take it. Instead Nico said, “Feed me.”

“What?” But Nico’s mouth was already taking a bite from the half he held. “Why don’t you do it yourself,” Leo grumbled quietly.

“I’m too lazy,” said Nico with a mouthful.

“How is it?” Leo had to ask.

“It’s alright,” Nico swallowed. “I’ve tasted better.”

He frowned. “I made this. I slaved over it all morning.”

The corners of Nico’s mouth lifted slightly before he took another bite. “Then you can do better.”

“You guys seriously,” groaned Percy across from them. “Get a room!”

Nico threw the rest of his sandwich at him. Leo returned to staring hard at the table and eating silently.

Jason took him aside that same day while Nico and Percy were talking.

“Hey,” the blond said. “I never really got to apologize.”

“About what?” Leo was lost, honestly he had forgotten, but then he remembered, sheepishly. “Oh. That. Um, yeah, forget about it-”

“No, really, it wasn’t fair of me,” Jason said. He was looking at Nico and Percy ahead of them. “Y’know, Percy doesn’t want to admit it, but,” he lowered his voice gently. “We think you're good for him.”

Leo tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying,” he said it carefully. “I’ve never seen Nico smile this much.”

Leo’s breath caught. “Oh.” He didn’t know what to say to that. He felt like he was intruding on a secret that should never be told.

“I can remember when we first met Nico,” Jason started to say. Leo listened intently. “He was a freshman, young and careless. He was so angry all the time. And quiet. Kept getting into fights he didn’t belong in, smoking in between classes.

Not to say he still isn’t like that but,” he shrugged, a smile tugged his scarred lip. “It’s nice to see him look happy more often.”

“Hey Four-Eyes, you comin’ to class or what?” called Nico from the end of the hall. He was smirking. Leo nodded to him and turned back to Jason silently.

“Thanks,” Leo said, and he meant it. Jason shrugged once more.

“No prob,” he said before returning to Piper. Leo smiled at the couple then walked back to where Nico stood waiting.

Of course, like Jason said, Nico did not change much.

He still talked back to people, students and teachers alike. He still got into fights, and Leo was finding himself patching up Nico’s bruises more often. After the first time, Nico did not say the reasons behind the new scars on his hands, and Leo did not ask.

He still smoked, but not everyday. Leo would wait patiently beside Nico against the wall of the school as he finished his cigarette, and he would say nothing, respecting the silence. At times though, he would be staring, the sight of Nico smoking still captivating to him. When that happens, Nico would notice, turn to him and blow the smoke to his face, saying, “See something you like?”

Leo would look away, blushing helplessly.

He spent the rest of the week thinking too carefully of what words to say. It was unlike him to not come up with something witty. Of course he didn’t want to give away the wrong impression. It was harmless, right? They could go as friends, act as friends, the way they’re acting now.

So why did he hold his breath when they sat together one afternoon at Nico’s house, papers and math books aside and Mythomagic cards laid strewed across the bed long forgotten, some indie rock song playing on Nico’s radio, and all Leo could focus on was the way Nico’s eyelashes curled against his cheek where his eyes were closed, calm and relaxed, head moving slightly to the beat of the music, breathing softly, their knees touching-

They couldn’t possibly be just friends.

“Say yes to this.”

It came out on accident, and he winced when he said it.

Nico opened his eyes to the sudden statement, the comfortable silence that had stayed between them for a couple songs length was now broken. Hesitant, “What?”

Leo bit his lip. “Go to the dance with me,” and then rushed. “I-I mean. As a friend. I was planning on spiking the punch bowl with- well, elephant toothpaste.”

Nico looked so shocked, his eyebrows high and his eyes wide. “You're- you're planning on mixing hydrogen peroxide and sodium iodide into the punch bowl?” He said, a little amused. “How the hell are you gonna get away with that?”

“Okay, one: I am so proud you actually remembered the chemicals for that experiment,” Nico pushed him and it made him grin wryly. “Secondly, I was hoping I’d have my scary punk friend cover me.”

Nico snorted, his smirk evident, but he said nothing. So after the pause Leo said, “I take that as a yes?”

Nico looked thoughtful, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’d have to rent a tux.”

Leo felt his heart leap to his throat at the thought of the punk dressed up neatly in a suit. He swallowed it down silently. “You don’t have to. Dress up, I mean.”

Nico finally met Leo’s gaze. “Of course I do. It is a dance, after all.”

That silenced Leo.

“Tell you what,” continued Nico after a breath. “I’ll help you with your little science prank.”

His hand grazed Leo’s softly. Nico lowered his voice, “ _If_ , you dance with me.”

They couldn’t possibly be just friends. Not when this felt all too casual, all too simple.

And that was how Leo found himself standing in front of his bathroom mirror, smelling too clean and coconutty from taking two showers, fiddling with his corny, vivid red bowtie. He couldn’t stop running his hands down his dress shirt, or through the curls in his hair to fix the wildness of it, neither could he stop staring at his stupid multicolored braces in his teeth, nor kept from removing his glasses then back, ultimately deciding it be best to wear them than to walk around blind. When his hands started to shake he groaned inwardly. He felt like he was 10 again and standing in front of a giant crowd during the spelling bee, sweating his pants off from misspelling the word ‘constitutional’.

He was beyond nervous. He was on a whole other level _higher_ than nervous.

It didn’t help that his mother called from below, signaling Nico had arrived to pick him up. Suddenly the toilet looked more appealing than he did. He checked his reflection one more time then grabbed his tuxedo jacket, putting it on as he went out of his room.

He could hear their voices trail as he took his steps down the stairs. He swallowed dryly, hoping his mother didn’t bring out his baby pictures yet- he shivered at the thought. This was the first time Nico was really inside his house though, and Leo knew his mother was talking him up.

“It’s so nice of you to take him to the dance,” he heard his mother say. “I mean I can hardly ever get him out of the house, oh but look at you though, you dress so nicely, you know when I was your age-” Leo cleared his throat when he reached the bottom of the steps, and his mother turned to him.

“Leo! Finally, Nico’s been waiting for you _m’ijo_ ,” He blocked his mother’s hands that tried to fix his hair. Now he _really_ felt like he was 10 years old again. She chuckled instead, fixed his crooked bowtie and pushed him towards the living room where Nico was.

He stopped.

He swore the beige living room he grew up in became a blur when his eyes focused on the punk sitting on his couch. He couldn’t move. But his eyes took in the sight.

It was normal to see Nico dressed in black, but a suit was something else entirely. His jacket sleek black was without any crevice or wrinkle, but his tie laid around his neck a little crooked as if he loosened it consistently- and that made Leo feel lighter knowing Nico must have been at least a little nervous as Leo was. He was leaning slightly over the table, a picture frame in his hand, and his face looked natural and amused. The air felt content somehow, looking at him.

He tried not to stare too long.

“You said you’d rent a tux,” stated Leo (and he thanked any god out there that his voice did not crack). Nico looked up from the picture and- and Leo knew _that_ expression. That was the same expression he wore when they first met.

“Wow,” said Nico in a breath. “You look-”

“Dorky?”

“-adorable.”

“...adorkable?” He let himself relax when Nico snorted a laugh. “You said you’d rent a tuxedo,” he repeated.

“What,” Nico lifted his arms to model his outfit a bit. “This isn’t a tuxedo?”

“Nope. That’s just a suit and tie. You wear bowties with tuxedos.” He pointed to his own bowtie.

Nico shook his head. “You really are a dork.” He was smiling.

“My baby! _Vestido para impresionar_ , ah? So handsome,” his mother was crooning and Leo groaned when she started to pinch his reddened cheek.

“ _Mama_ -”

“Oh! I know I’ll go get the camera!”

“Oh _god_.” Nico was laughing silently beside him.

After some very awkward photos (Leo looking at Nico apologetic, but Nico being the blessed angel that he was just shook it off and smiled for the camera. And his smile wasn’t fake.), Leo said to his mom through his teeth, “O _kay_ I think that’s enough pictures.”

His mother pouted. “But-”

Nico interrupted. “Seriously, Mrs. Valdez, we’re gonna be late for the dance.” His voice was smooth and Leo wanted to kiss him right then and there.

“Ah _chico_ , you know can just call me mo-”

Leo practically shoved Nico out the door at that. The punk was chuckling, and they started to walk to the car that was parked on the sidewalk (“So I’m picking you up then,” said Leo, fumbling. “Obviously ‘cuz I still have your bike and everything-”

“No.” Was all Nico said.

Leo gulped. “Right, okay, but-”

“I better not see you at my house, Four-Eyes.”). Leo tried not to drool at the sight of the shiny black BMW. But he does turn to Nico when they’re already seated and buckled in on the leather seats, “Rich kid’s car. Typical.”

Nico rolled his eyes and started the car. “Y’know, I could have brought the Porsche.”

Leo gaped. “What the _hell_ , why didn’t you? Oh my god, Nico we’re no longer friends.”

But Nico smirked. “Nice to know all I have to do is show off my cash and you’ll be back.”

“Yes that is very much true,” Leo joked. He couldn’t let it go though. “I mean, it’s a Porsche, Nico. A _Porsche_. A. Porsche. How many times do I have to emphasize that.”

“So what? This car’s just as expensive. Besides, I don’t like to brag about how much money my dad makes.”

“Yeah, I bet Bruce Wayne said the same thing about his dad before he cruised along in his sweet Batmobile.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Will you shut up, _cub scout_.”

Leo paled. “Oh god-”

“Oh yeah I saw the picture. Cute little 10-year old Valdez in his tiny little cub scout uniform.”

Leo was glad his skin color his the red of his ears, because he knew he couldn’t handle himself when Nico calls him cute.

Nico kept talking. “If you're gonna be in my car you better shut up about my car, got it?”

There were no more conversations about Nico’s cars (a little disappointing) but they kept talking, joking lightly on the drive. Leo had his hopes set high tonight, but for the first time, he didn’t mind.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you actually snuck those out of the lab.” Although, Nico looked impressed.

The test tubes felt a little heavy in his hands, but he grinned anyway. They were walking down the darkened hallway, and he could hear the thrumming of music. It didn’t ease his fastening heartbeat, it only made it worse.

_It’s just a dance_ , he told himself.

Nico pushed the door open behind him and they entered the gym where the dance was held, and they were met with dim lights that glowed with purple hues. Streamers hung up on the wall, and balloons were scattered around the ceiling above dancing bodies that moved like they didn’t have a care. There was no specific theme to the dance that Leo could comprehend, but everyone was dressed up like they were, suits and not-too classy dresses.

“Man,” said Nico. “This...sucks.”

Leo snickered. “Can smell the stench of youth in here,” he said. “With just a little hint of sad desperation.”

Nico nudged him, but he was laughing too. Jason and Piper came up to them, and Leo was shocked to see Jason’s metal had disappeared from his face, unlike Nico who had decided to keep his.

“Hey,” he said. Ah, well. All except the tongue ring. “Didn’t think you guys would show up.”

“Leo, you actually cleaned up,” grinned Piper. “I’m so proud of you!”

He smiled, bashful. Piper was beautiful, her dress cropped to her knees and neon pink. There were jewels in her hair that brought out her eyes. Jason was also neat and handsome, his blond hair fixed and the dim overhead lights made him look like he was glowing, which was almost true. He was smiling down at Piper, and he radiated happiness.

The song changed to something upbeat and Piper turned to him. “C’mon, let’s dance Leo,” She grabbed his hand but he pulled back.

“No, no. No thanks,” he said with a nervous huff of laughter.

She shrugged it off (and he exhaled with relief), and turned to Nico instead.

“Come here you angst-ridden, broody teenager,” Piper was already dragging him to the dancefloor.

“Save me,” groaned Nico. But Leo laughed at his face and waved him off as he was whisked away into the dancing crowd. It was hilarious to watch the dark punk dance languidly next to the colorful fast-paced Piper.

“Watch your hands Di Angelo!” Jason joked. Nico flipped him off. The two disappeared into the crowd.

“You don’t really look like the type to go to a dance, Leo,” said Jason beside him. “What are you doing here? Seriously.” It didn’t sound mean, but with genuine curiosity.

Leo shrugged. “I don’t believe in school dances,” he said. “That’s why I usually trash them.”

“Trash them?” Said Jason. “Wait.” He paused. “Last year. Were you the one who programmed the speakers to say ‘Coach Hedge likes to fuck with deers’ in that Stephen Hawking voice?”

Leo grinned and touched his nose. “No one suspects the nerd,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “I didn’t even have to go to the dance to do that. Did it all on my laptop at home.”

Jason shook his head. “Fucking savage,” he grinned.

Somewhere he heard Nico yell, “Stop twirling me so damn much McClean!”

“So,” started Jason again. “Before you trash this one, you gonna have one last dance with him?”

“Um.” The question caught him off guard. His cheeks heated a bit and he stuttered. “We’re not-- I don’t-”

He stopped when Jason shook his head again, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You guys have been hanging out everyday for the past, what, month now?” Jason said. “You guys are really close, and even _I_ can see it, the chemistry you guys have. It would really be something if you two got together.”

He couldn’t think of anything to say to that, his throat felt like it was closing up. He looked hard at the ground and didn’t dare let his eyes gaze up at the one person Jason was talking about.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard Jason say to him, “Give him a chance.” His eyes followed where Jason met with Piper when the song ended, and he watched them kiss before they danced, transitioning to a slow song.

When he started to think about Jason’s words he suddenly felt too overwhelmed. He hadn’t thought about it that way before. Things were going so well with Nico recently that he had forgotten about his little crush on him. Now he was at a dance with him- hell, he was the one who asked Nico in the first place, he might as well have been wearing a sign that said ‘I’m desperate and like you a lot please date me’. But he couldn’t just put his feelings out there. The last time he did that his head got dunked into a toilet and he moved schools.

And yet, here they were, the music and the atmosphere so slow and romantic it made his head spin. The dancing crowd felt like too much for him. His breath thinned and panic rose in his chest.

“You okay?”

It was Nico’s voice that brought him back.

“Y-Yeah, yeah,” he could feel his heartbeat in his throat, and he swallowed it down. “I just need to get out of here, I remember why I never go to these events-” he started to mumble. “Crowds. Can’t, um, handle them like, at _all_ -”

“Hey, slow down,” Nico placed a hand on his arm and steadied him. “Look at me.”

And Leo did.

Nico’s eyes were warm and dark black, the dim purple light from the ceiling glinted in his iris. Everything around him blurred. Nico was all he could focus on. Nico and his hair that looked like it was gleaming, his face that looked soft and angelic, and his hands that were now on his shoulders, heavy, like he cared, and Leo couldn’t help but think of why they're there.

Nico may look like a terrifying punk most of the time, but right now, for the second time that night, he thought, he looked enticingly handsome. He looked ethereal.

“We can leave, if you want,” said Nico. “Just say the word and I’ll take you home.”

Leo blinked, out of a trance. “No,” he said after a pause. “No, I have a better idea.”

 

* * *

 

“Wow we’re actually doing this.”

“Shut up, human shields aren’t suppose to talk.” Leo said it jokingly, but knew the music was drowning their whispers anyhow.

They were making their way around the crowd in the back, silently stalking to the punch bowl. No one noticed them sneaking around, most were too busy being caught up in the moment. Leo figured someone had spiked the drink with alcohol, an easy cliché. But it also made the chemical mix even easier to blow up, so he knew they had better be quick.

“When I pour, the smoke will come right away and set off the fire alarm,” he whispered. “Once that happens, we book it.”

“Great plan. Can’t believe you dragged me into it,” said Nico. He stood with his back to Leo now, hiding him entirely. “Why can’t you just pull the fire alarm like a normal person?”

“Because that’s so boring,” he told him, like it was obvious. “Elephant toothpaste is much more fun.”

Once he thought no one was watching them, he uncorked the two test tube bottles and poured them both slowly into the sweet punch bowl, making sure his fingers weren’t near the liquid. It was 30% of both hydrogen peroxide and sodium iodide, which was about twice as more concentrate than what they used in the lab- something he didn’t tell Nico about. The mixture started to bubble, and Leo leaned away against Nico’s back, biting his lip and grinning in anticipation, and after a second-

Pink-purple foam substance exploded from the bowl, up and up higher toward the ceiling, and Nico was laughing behind him.

“Oh my god.”

It smelled like toxic raspberries and alcohol, but the sight was like giant threads of cotton candy flying and twisting without care. He stepped away when the foam landed onto the ground like specks after a firework show.

It smoked immediately and the fire alarm rang and sprinklers turned on. Students started to groan and yell as their fixed up hair and outfits became wet and ruined from the water-- but he and Nico were the only ones laughing at the mess.

“Hey!” A teacher yelled from the back.

Leo grabbed Nico’s arm and grinned. “Run.”

 

* * *

 

A rush of adrenaline swept through him as they dashed through the hallway. Leo held on to Nico’s arm tight and his legs were starting to cramp with each hard step of his feet. Their wet hair stuck to their faces and their suits were a little drenched. Teachers and a couple of students shouted and ran after them, but Leo could hardly care over the loud thrumming of his heart. He could feel his mouth, open wide and laughter escaping him in the thrill of their chase.

They passed through the cafeteria, through tables and chairs, then through the library, knocking a few books over, and then out, and he was surprised their teachers had enough stamina to hunt them down. Leo was small and thin-limbed, which made him quick to scramble. But Nico was taller than him, stronger and with larger and faster strides. At some point, Nico started to run ahead of him, pulling him instead to move them both quicker.

“In here,” Nico opened the nearest unlocked, dark-lit classroom and pulled them inside, locking the door behind him swiftly to not get caught. Nico grabbed him and pulled him close to his chest and against the wall next to the door, a hand covered his mouth and kept him quiet. If the door opened the would be hidden. Leo grinned against Nico’s palm.

Nico glanced at the window in the door after a pause. “They’re gone,” he whispered, removing his hand. “Coast’s clear.”

They stared at each other in the still darkness. Slowly the silence broke when they bursted into laughter.

“That,” huffed Nico. “Was the craziest thing I’ve ever done- no, that was the craziest thing I have ever seen _you_ done.”

Leo ducked his head, bumping his forehead against Nico’s shoulder still grinning. “I know.”

Softly. “The principle is probably gonna be looking for you. You could get suspended for this.”

“I know,” He repeated. But he was still smiling like crazy. His heart was still racing. “Let’s not think about that right now.”

“Right,” Nico glanced out the window once more. “We should wait a while. They’re probably telling everyone to go home.”

“Yeah,” Leo chuckled. He let his head fall back against the wall, wary of the distance between them.

“In the meantime though,” Nico said. “We seem to be alone.”

Leo’s grin faltered. “What?”

“I’m pretty sure you promised me a dance,” Nico’s voice was still low. “In exchange for my bodyguard services.”

A shiver went through his body. He swallowed hard. “Did I say that? Because I don’t really specifically remember me saying that kind of promise with those exact words, I mean if you had any evidence then probably I-”

Nico stopped his babbling by brushing his hand slightly. The touch was soft.

“Leo,” he said. “No one’s here. It’s just us.”

He looked around the empty classroom, the silence was thick but the walls weren’t closing in on him, no claustrophobic crowds were here- it was true. It was just the two of them. Alone.

Still, he found himself looking up to Nico’s eyes for the second time that night just to calm his suddenly erratic heartbeat.

“Alright,” he said, finally.

He let himself be led, away from the door and the wall, and a hand wrapped around his own, the other moved to Nico’s shoulder. Their contact was close and intimate, and Leo could smell the faint smell of cigarette smoke on Nico’s suit. Nico threaded his fingers with his, and he hoped and prayed his hands weren’t too sweaty. He also ignored the fact that Nico's hand felt right in his. Frankly, he ignored everything he was feeling at that very moment.

“Why are you leading?” Leo complained. “Why do _I_ have to be the girl?”

“I’m like twice your height.”

“That doesn’t seem accurate.”

“Alright. You're small as fuck, and as amusing as it would be, I’m going to lead, okay?”

“Yeah that seems about right.” Leo gave up on thinking of any more excuse to prolong this. He felt helpless.

“It’s- We don’t have any music-” He stopped when Nico brought out his phone and earbuds from his pockets. He put one in his ear and a slow rock song started to play. Leo couldn’t help but smile, shakily.

“Pixies. That’s terrible,” he said.

“It’s the only slow song I have,” said Nico, placing his other hand on his waist.

“This, this is so cheesy.” They haven’t even started dancing yet and he was already freaking out.

“Shut up and dance with me, nerd.”

He hesitated. “I- I don’t know how.”

“What, how to shut up?” Nico joked.

“ _No_ ,” he shoved Nico’s shoulder, his cheeks heated. “How to dance.” He started to leave out of embarrassment, but Nico’s arms trapped him.

“I know,” Nico’s voice was calm and quiet. “Just listen to the music and follow me, okay?”

So Leo kept his mouth shut and listened to the music, resting his head carefully on Nico’s shoulder again. Their feet hardly moved, they mostly stayed in one place, swaying slightly to the slow beat of the bass. His ear was on Nico’s neck and he heard the steady throb of his pulse. He wondered briefly if this was what it would feel like to be in Nico’s arms. He closed his eyes. It was a nice feeling.

 

* * *

 

Almost an hour later, when they knew for sure there was no one looking for them, they found themselves walking side by side down the empty hallway of their school, their ties finally loosened around their necks. It was quiet, a little past 11 at night.

“I can take you home,” said Nico. “Seriously.”

“My mom’s already on her way,” Leo said. “She’s gonna be pretty mad I’m out this late.”

Nico snorted. “She’s mad at you being out late but not that you ruined a highschool dance?”

“Nah, she always expects me to do something stupid. I’m a terrible prankster in the neighborhood.”

Nico shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “You really are one badass nerd.”

“That has to be the best nerd compliment you've ever given me.” His smiled, almost fondly.

“Well, it’s true,” They reached the entrance of the school, and Nico stopped him by grabbing his arm. “Hey, I had a great time.”

“R-Really? Me too,” Leo admitted softly.

Nico looked down at him under the moonlight. “You know I’ve been wanting to ask you to the dance all week?” He said softly.

“Oh?” He breathed. Once again, Nico’s left him speechless.

“Yeah. When you asked me, I was really surprised,” Nico said. “You beat me to it. That wasn’t something I expected from you.”

Leo didn’t want to tell Nico that that was actually how he was all the time; unpredictable, and loud. He just never really showed that normal side of himself in school. Never really believed that he should. He got so caught up with making an effort to look good and to never be noticed that when he actually got noticed- let alone from _Nico_ \- he felt lost at how he was supposed to act. He didn’t want to tell him that the reason that he had asked Nico to the dance was the same reason he went through with his plan to spike the punch bowl. The reason being that Nico just made him feel things he’s never felt before.

“I just assumed,” fumbled Leo. “I could- I could ask you. To go with me on this, that is, ‘cuz we’re such close friends now-”

“Are we?” Nico said.

Leo was caught off guard. “I- what?”

“That wasn’t my intention, really.”

Leo felt the world shift around him. “Intention?”

“Yeah,” whispered Nico. “I never planned on being your friend.”

Leo felt his stomach drop- but then,

“Honestly, I wanted to kiss you the first day we met.”

Leo’s breath caught in his throat. Nico moved closer and Leo was stuck between panicking and staying still. His eyes never left Nico’s.

“I still do…” continued Nico. “But I just thought.. You needed a friend more than whatever I could be.” His hand lifted and Leo felt his fingers brush his cheek. “And then I thought, I can be that too.”

Leo could hear screaming in his head as his eyes widened. He knew he should be thinking of the fact that Nico had taken his own feelings into account, that he should be thinking about the fact that Nico, who actually cares about him, hadn’t rushed him into anything. He knew he should be thanking Nico for being the amazing friend that he was, for sticking up to him even against his own friends, even against his own school. But all he could think about was

_“I wanted to kiss you the first day we met.”_

He knew he should have been thinking about the fact that, somehow, maybe even a little bit, Nico felt the same way he did. But those thoughts could wait.

The same voices that were screaming in his head were now screaming at him to close his eyes as he felt Nico’s breath on his face. He remembered a situation exactly like this before, but it was different now. Nico’s hand was still cold against his cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked. Leo had no words, and his eyes were already closed in anticipation, but he nodded anyhow.

Nico was less than an inch from him, their noses touching gently, when he pulled back. Leo was breathless at this point. Irritated, he almost asked what was wrong, when he opened his eyes to a blurred world.

Nico said, “Damn glasses are in the way-” but then he paused. Leo couldn’t see his expression, and all he heard was, “Wow.” Suddenly, Nico’s hands grabbed the back of his head-

And then all he could feel was Nico’s lips on his. His eyes slipped shut now and he focused on the feeling.

The first thing he realized was that Nico’s lips, besides the ring, felt so soft and so _good_ against his, pressing and teasing slightly to his upper lip, bordering from deepening more than just that- it felt all too sweet and too hard to believe. He tasted the nicotine that tainted Nico’s mouth, but he found he didn’t mind. Nico’s scent of cigarette smoke engulfed him, which made him dizzy to his knees. Absently he felt Nico’s fingers threading through his hair, making him lean up into the feeling. The kiss made him feel like someone had mixed elephant toothpaste in his stomach.

His hands were frozen and shaking at his sides and knew he wasn’t responding, but he never got the chance to, Nico pulling away from him far too soon than he thought.

“Wow,” breathed Leo. Nico’s forehead was against his, and he could feel Nico grinning. He really, really wanted to see Nico grinning, just as much as he really, really wanted to kiss Nico again, but he was missing something. “You--you know I really can’t see anything without my glasses right?”

But Nico kissed him again. This time Leo responded shyly with just the slightest pressure. Even though it was chaste, it still made him feel weak.

Nico’s mouth was still moving against his. “I’ll give you your glasses back if you go on a date with me.”

Leo huffed. “You and your deals,” he said shakily. But he couldn’t stop smiling. He felt like he was beaming.

“Is that a yes?” asked Nico.

Leo, in all the inexperienced, clumsiness that was him, pressed the smallest, most hesitant kiss to the corner of Nico’s mouth. “Yes,” he whispered.

But before they could kiss again they were interrupted by a loud horn.

“Oh my god,” Leo didn’t have to wear his glasses to know it was his mother. “ _Oh my god_ , how long has she been there.”

Nico was laughing now, his head dropped to Leo’s shoulder and the sound of Nico’s light laughter in his ear was the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard.

He handed him his glasses back, but this time gave him a fleeting peck on his cheek. “I’ll text you later, okay?”

Leo nodded, his head swarming. He put his glasses on and memorized how pure Nico’s smile was, before turning towards his car where his mother waited.

“So,” said his mother, once he got in. “How was your night?” But she was grinning like she already knew.

Leo took one last look at Nico out the window before closing his eyes. “It was.. Amazing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh 'hey' is the only pixies song that i like and i think its the only song by pixies thats actually good
> 
> i am indeed on [tumblr](http://potatoangels.tumblr.com/) so please hmu there if you just wanna cry over these two boys


	6. not an update!! an apology;;

Hi!! If you're still following this fic I apologize dearly but I won't be continuing this anymore!! I'll be leaving it off at the last part as an open ending because I've got caught up in other stuff in my life. Dw I haven't given up on this ship!! Honestly I miss this ship so much, I still have a bunch of drafts I'm willing to post!! I just won't update this one, I'm so sorry ;; Kendraaa!!!! if you're reading this I can't apologize enoughh and I miss our valdangelo talks ><

 

Come find me here I guess: jhvce.tumblr.com, otherwise look out for some oneshots I might post soon!! idk my life has been such a mess

 

(if u like seventeen find me here too: jnghnies.tumblr.com & @jnghnies on twt)

 

Byeee, have a great day!! -jade/jc


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